Introducing Venice

Picking the right hotel location

In our Number 1 Warning
article, we make a statement that's worth repeating here:

"Know where you want to
stay."

Many first-time visitors book hotels (or let their travel agents
book hotels) without giving any thought to location. This can lead to
frustrating and expensive mistakes.

To see why, we'll return to the aerial photo:

Let's say that you're arriving by air and spending two days in
Venice before departing on a cruise ship from the San Basilio pier (see white
ship near the foot of the Giudecca Canal). You're carrying large, heavy luggage.

Your travel agent has booked you into a hotel in Castello, inland from the Piazza San Marco (the
grey spot to the left of the curving waterfront promenade, above the eastern end
of the S-shaped Grand Canal).

Because your travel agent knows a lot about cruising but very
little about Venice, she didn't realize that:

You'll need to walk over a series of bridges and down
narrow, crowded streets with your bulky luggage to reach the hotel from the
San Marco airport-boat stop, and...

On the day of your cruise departure, you'll need to lug your
suitcases to a distant vaporetto pier where you can catch an
expensive water bus to San Basilio, or--alternatively--pay 60 or 70 euros
for a private water taxi.

You're going to have a frustrating experience that could have
been avoided if you'd stayed at a hotel closer to your cruise terminal.

The same principle applies if you're arriving and departing by
train: By staying within walking distance of the Santa Lucia railroad station,
you'll save time, hassle, and money.

For detailed advice on hotels and other lodgings, see the
articles in our Hotel Guide.

Tip: Most hotel
reservations can be cancelled without penalty if you give notice at least 24
to 48 hours before your stay. If you discover that you're booked into a
hotel that doesn't fit your needs, see if you can cancel the booking and
choose another hotel at a more convenient location.